How long should I wait to breastfeed after having 3 alcoholic drinks?
Last updated on April 1, 2026
When you drink, the alcohol level in your milk reflects the alcohol level in your bloodstream. This ends up meaning that even if you drink a large amount, the amount of alcohol passing through the breast milk is quite low. If you want to be extremely cautious, you can wait until the alcohol has left your system. For a 150-pound woman, it’s at least six hours for three drinks.
Additionally, there is no benefit to pumping and dumping. You would only want to do so if you’ve decided to wait to nurse and you need to pump to either keep up supply or for comfort reasons.
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